[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 75 (Tuesday, June 13, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H3894-H3895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AMERICA'S AGRICULTURE

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of order 
for 5 minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Arkansas is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor tonight deeply concerned 
about the future of our Nation's farm economy and the well-being of our 
farmers and ranchers. America's farm families provide the most safe, 
reliable and abundant source of food and fiber in the world. The 
security of our Nation's domestic food supply is critically important 
to the security of our homeland. We must continue to provide our farm 
families with the tools and resources necessary to continue producing 
our food and fiber to ensure we never become as dependent on foreign 
countries for our food as we are for our oil today.
  I was extremely disappointed in this Republican Congress and their 
decision to cut agriculture disaster funding during conference 
committee negotiations of the emergency supplemental appropriations 
bill last week. I was also struck by the fact that the administration 
even weighed in by threatening its first veto ever of this supplemental 
if it contained disaster assistance for our farm families. Making these 
cuts on the backs of our farmers and ranchers when they are struggling 
to make ends meet is unconscionable.
  Mr. Speaker, it is about priorities, and the decision made by this 
Republican Congress and administration does not reflect the commonsense 
priorities and values that many Arkansans and I were raised on and 
still believe in.
  Agriculture is Arkansas' largest industry and ranks among the top 10 
States in the production of rice, poultry, cotton, catfish and 
baitfish. In fact, one in every five Arkansas jobs is directly related 
to agriculture. According to a forecast by USDA's Economic Research 
Service, farm income is estimated to decline by $16.5 billion in 2006 
as a result of increased production costs and reductions in market 
assistance. Reduction in farm income, combined with the hardships 
experienced during the 2005 crop year, will lead our Nation's farm 
economy into the worst decline of the 21st century.
  As you can see from the poster here, Mr. Speaker, the red line, the 
top line, indicates the amount of money that it costs our farmers to 
grow crops. The bottom line demonstrates the amount of money they have 
received. They are losing money. In 1985, farmers spent anywhere from 
$80,000 to $85,000 on a new tractor. Today, a farmer will spend 
anywhere from $140,000 to $150,000 on a new tractor.
  As the chart shows, our farm families have seen a steady increase in 
the cost to produce their crops, while at the same time the prices they 
receive for their crops remain the same and are lower than they were 10 
years ago. In fact, in 1980, cotton was going for 60 cents a pound. 
Today, it is 42 cents a pound. Rice was going for $11.50 per hundred 
weight. Today, it is $7 per hundred weight. Soybeans, in 1980, $5.71 a 
bushel. Today, just a slight increase, at $6.09 a bushel.
  In 2005, our Nation's farm families faced severe droughts, hurricane 
damaging winds and other natural events causing damage and devastation 
to their crops and livestock. Americans have been hit hard by the 
drastic increase in gasoline, diesel and natural gas prices. Our 
Nation's farm sector relies heavily on diesel fueled farm equipment to 
plant, harvest and transport their products to market. Increased fuel, 
fertilizer and other record high input costs have pushed many farmers 
out of business altogether, forcing them to auction off their family 
farms.
  I have been urging this Republican Congress and administration to 
pass disaster assistance for our farm families since September of last 
year. I stand here tonight holding this binder, a binder recently 
presented to me by Ken Shea of Dumas, Arkansas. It is filled with farm 
auction after farm auction, fliers, notices of bankrupt

[[Page H3895]]

farm families from Arkansas. Even if a disaster bill was passed today, 
it would be too late for these farm families and many others who are 
trying desperately to avoid bankruptcy. Every day that passes without 
providing disaster assistance, more families are auctioning off their 
farms.
  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3702, an agriculture disaster assistance 
bill which was introduced in September of last year.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand here tonight urging the Republican leadership to 
give us a hearing and a vote on this bill.

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